Grilling season is one of the best times of the year. After all, sometimes there’s nothing better than grilling a good cut of meat. However, for most people, the grilling season is in the summertime. It can be too cold in the early spring, late fall, and winter to grill outside with a regular BBQ.
You might prefer the results and flavor of a regular BBQ over an indoor grill. However, indoor grills have significant advantages to consider. Today, we will compare indoor versus outdoor grills to determine the differences.
As you are about to discover, indoor and outdoor grills have advantages and drawbacks. Therefore, the main point of this indoor vs. outdoor grill comparison is to provide you with the information you need to make an informed choice as to which cooking appliance you want to get
Indoor vs. Outdoor Grill
Let’s look at indoor and outdoor grills. As you’re about to see, there are quite a few differences between them.
Weather Considerations
One of the most significant differences can be found in the name. An outdoor grill is designed to be used outdoors and cannot be brought indoors. This might be fine for the summer or when it’s not overly cold, but you probably don’t want to stand in a snowstorm to cook a piece of meat.
Therefore, if the weather is bad, the option is to use an indoor grill. However, when the weather is good and you have an extension cord to plug the grill in, you can always use an indoor grill outdoors.
Space Limitations
Something else to consider is whether you have spatial limitations. Of course, you need a balcony, patio, deck, or backyard to have an outdoor grill or BBQ.
If you live in a tiny house that doesn’t have a yard or a deck or live in an apartment, you might not have space to put an outdoor BBQ. An indoor BBQ might be your only option if this is the case.
However, if your kitchen is short on counter or cabinet space, you might not have room to store an indoor grill. Usually, indoor grills are small and don’t take up much space. This means that, for the most part, if you have spatial limitations, a small indoor grill is your best bet.
Fire, Carbon Monoxide, and Other Safety Factors
Because of the carbon monoxide created by gas grills, you can’t use an outdoor grill indoors.
If you grill indoors with an outdoor propane grill, you will release carbon monoxide into your home, which can be fatal. At the same time, using a propane or a charcoal outdoor grill indoors can be dangerous because of the open flame and the risk of causing a fire.
However, a small electric indoor grill does not have an open flame that can cause anything to catch fire, and there’s no combustion, so it won’t release carbon monoxide. Indoor electric grills are much safer to use indoors.
All That Smoke
Even if fire and carbon monoxide were not an issue, outdoor grills create a lot of smoke. When the grease from your meat hits an open flame, a lot of smoke is released. If you’re outdoors, a bit of smoke is OK. However, if you are indoors, this is not good.
Indoor grills may create a little smoke, but not as much as outdoor grills. At the same time, indoor grills often have special features to prevent smoke, and if it is created, they often come with a fan to suck it away.
Ease of Cleaning
Because indoor grills are relatively small and usually come with nonstick grill plates, they’re easier to clean than outdoor grills.
Outdoor grills typically don’t have nonstick grill plates, which means that food gets stuck on easily and requires an intensive cleaning process. There are also many other components on an outdoor grill that need cleaning.
Generally, outdoor grills are harder to clean and much larger, so the cleaning process is much longer. Indoor grills usually have nonstick grill plates that can be easily removed and put in the dishwasher. If you don’t want to spend an hour cleaning your grill after you use it every time, an indoor grill is the way to go.
Size of the Cooking Surface
One advantage that most outdoor grills have over indoor grills is that they are much larger. With an outdoor grill, you can usually cook for up to eight or ten people at once. However, with an indoor grill, you can realistically cook for around two people or, if you get a larger option, maybe four. However, indoor grills are small, and you just can’t cook for very many people with them simultaneously.
Cooking Versatility + The Result
If you want to get the coveted sear and the flame-grilled flavor, an outdoor grill is your option. Although an indoor grill can get pretty close to the results that an outdoor grill can achieve, it will not be the same. An indoor grill will be more like a frying pan than an open flame.
However, if you have an indoor grill, you can cook more food types than on an outdoor grill. For instance, on most indoor grills, you can cook things like fajitas, breakfast foods, pancakes, and even small vegetables. Many indoor grills have griddle plates, not just grill plates.
Cost
Consider that you can get a relatively high-end indoor grill for around $150 or $200, whereas those are generally starting prices for low-end outdoor grills. Then, you need charcoal or propane for your outdoor grill, which will cost more. Indoor grills are cheaper to purchase and use.
Carcinogenic Substances
When you cook food over an open flame, carcinogenic substances are created in your food. This means that cooking on an outdoor grill comes with an added risk of causing cancer over the long run. This is not the case with indoor grills, as they do not cook with open flames and are healthier to use.
Eco-Friendliness
Another thing is that indoor grills are eco-friendlier than outdoor grills because they only use electricity. Outdoor grills release greenhouse gases into the air, creating air pollution.
Apartment Living
If you live in an apartment, you just won’t be able to use an outdoor grill. They are considered unsafe, and most apartment buildings do not allow for any kind of open flame to be used for barbecuing, especially putting a barbecue on a balcony
Conclusion
As you can see, both indoor and outdoor grills have their benefits and drawbacks. Now that you know what they are, you can make an informed choice between them.